Handsfree Drone Tracks And Records Extreme Athletes Up To 45 MPH

A Latvian company behind a handsfree extreme sports drone is hoping to compete with the DJI’s of the world with a new Kickstarter campaign that promises to follow fast-moving athletes in high winds and in wet conditions.

Helico Aerospace Industries, the company behind the AirDog that raised more than $1.3 million on Kickstarter in 2015, is looking to raise funds to develop the AirDog 2. So far it has received $107,309 of a $250,000 goal with 24 days to go.

Just like the first-generation drone, AirDog 2 will be controlled by an invisible leash that electronically attaches the drone to a wearable — making it easier for action sports athletes, such as kiteboarders, snowboarders and mountain bikers, to use compared with the handheld joystick of drones such as DJI’s Phantom.

New features, such as a three-axis gimbal and the ability to remotely start and stop recording, are also being floated as justification for a newer version.

However, the second-generation drone isn’t faster and its range is shorter. It can travel up to 45 miles per hour, the same as the previous version, and record 10-20 minutes of flight time depending on the speed, just like the original AirDog. Its leash range of 500 feet is half that of the AirDog 1.

Despite its fallbacks, the drone still seems to be ahead of the curve in terms of the range of capabilities it offers with the handsfree functionality. Others, such as DJI’s palm-sized $499 Spark mini-drone, aren’t as durable and speedy and wouldn’t work as well for action sports.

Compatible with a GoPro, AirDog 2 promises to be waterproof and resistant to high winds up to 30 knots. It can be set to either automatically follow the wearable user, or follow a pre-programmed flight path.

It’s also about the same price as the original AirDog or cheaper if you preorder. The AirDog 2 is expected to retail for $1,500 when it hits the market later this year, though Kickstarter backers can get it for $995. The original AirDog cost $1,495 and was available for preorder at $1,295.

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About Jen Booton

Jen is a senior writer at SportTechie covering the many ways technology is disrupting sports. On any given day she may cover a wide variety of stories ranging from the newest virtual reality training tools for the NFL, the rise of eSports leagues and the infiltration of drones in extreme sports. Prior to joining SportTechie, Jen was a technology reporter at MarketWatch, where she covered major Silicon Valley companies, such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook.
Jen is a licensed skydiver who jumps out of planes, helicopters and hot air balloons for fun in her spare time. She’s a former NCAA cross country athlete and currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.
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